Moving Past Heartbreak
by rosetyler39
Summary: Rose is really griefstricken after the events of Journey's End, and the duplicate Doctor tries to help her move on. 10.5/Rose. One-shot.


**Hello sweeties! I've been thinking that after the events of Journey's End, Rose probably wouldn't have moved on so easily. So I decided to be mean and write some angsty stuff involving her and the 10th Doctor duplicate. ANYWAYS, before you start reading, I would like to make a quick note that when I say "the Doctor", I am, of course, referring to the duplicate. But you probably would've figured that out on your own. ;) **

**Hope you enjoy!**

Rose had been very moody lately. She wasn't depressed. She was just… brooding. Or that's how the Doctor put it. He wasn't an idiot though; he knew why she was upset. She had just lost her Doctor. The Doctor whom she had grown to love. Again.

He couldn't help but feel dejected, though. They had only kissed once on Bad Wolf Bay. Rose hadn't done it again. It was as if she denied his presence. Denied that he was "the Doctor", in a manner of speaking. He had tried talking to her, but he felt it was all white noise to her. He tried to touch her, but she would shy away from his hand. All he could do was sit in the easy chair in the living room and try to focus on a good book. But all he could think about was Rose. He knew he needed to pull Rose out of her detached state. He stayed up late at night, mulling different ideas over in his head. Then finally, it came to him.

X

It was a Saturday morning; Rose was granted an off-day from Torchwood.

"Rose," the Doctor shook her gently. "Rose, wake up."

Rose's eyes fluttered open.

"I want to take you somewhere today. You need to get out," he said to her.

Rose stared blankly at him, responding only with a sad nod. It was an improvement. The Doctor waited until Rose was dressed and ready to go. Without a word, she walked outside to the jeep. Before following her, the Doctor slyly slipped into Rose's room and grabbed a small box from her dresser, slipping it into his pocket.

The drive took a few hours; and Rose stayed silent the entire time. The Doctor didn't even talk or play any music. He just let Rose stare off into the middle distance. Finally, the Doctor stopped the jeep and hopped out of the car, opening the door for Rose on the passenger's side. When Rose looked up after getting out of the car, her eyes fixated on the scene before her. And for the first time in what seemed like forever, the Doctor heard her speak again.

"Bad Wolf Bay."

The Doctor could hear the sadness in her voice, as he assumed painful memories bombarded her mind. But he didn't see her cry. She just walked over to the shoreline and sat down. The Doctor walked over to her side and plopped down next to her. They sat in silence for a while, before Rose broke it.

"I remember it all," Rose said, sadly. She then looked up at the Doctor. "And I don't think I'll ever forget."

The Doctor looked backed at her with an equally sad expression.

"You don't have to forget. But you can try to move past it."

Rose looked up at him, tears starting to brim.

"What do you mean?"

It was then that the Doctor took the box out of his pocket and opened it. Inside it was a key. The TARDIS key. When Rose saw this, she brought a hand to her mouth, trying to force herself to stay composed. The Doctor let her take a moment to pull herself together, but he couldn't help but notice a tear rolling down her cheek. Slowly, Rose reached her hand out to the box and picked up the key. She stared at it longingly for a good long while. Then she stood up. Squeezing her eyes shut, she brought the key up to her lips and kissed it, whispering something. Then, taking a deep breath, she threw it out into the ocean. She opened her eyes again, letting more tears roll down her cheeks. The Doctor stood up next to her. He heard her speak again.

"You'll never really be _him_." She turned to face him.

He smiled a sad smile.

"I know. But I can try, can't I?"

Rose smiled back.

"I suppose so."

The Doctor held out his hand, and Rose held it, this time holding on.

"What was it you whispered?" the Doctor asked her.

Rose sighed.

"The words I never got to hear him say."

The Doctor took her shoulders and turned her towards him.

"You're about to hear them now. Rose Tyler…"

Rose waited with bated breath.

"…I love you."

And at that, the two embraced each other tightly. Rose smiled at the Doctor.

"Quite right too. And I suppose, I love you too… Doctor."

Then, for the first time in a long time, the Doctor felt Rose's lips meet his.


End file.
